a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electric cooking apparatus with a control means.
b) Prior Art
Conventional electric cooking apparatus with a control means have been designed according to respective dedicated application. For example, electric rice cookers have had dedicated heating programs only for cooking rice, said dedicated heating programs being stored beforehand in such control means, and electric germinators also have had dedicated heating programs only for germinating unmilled, brown rice, said dedicated heating programs also being stored beforehand in such control means. Accordingly, it was impossible for users to set such dedicated heating programs as they like. For this reason, it was impossible to use conventional electric cooking apparatus designed for respective exclusive uses for other cooking uses, such as for boiling eggs or boiling Japanese xe2x80x9codenxe2x80x9d (i.e., Japanese hotchpotch). Further, it was also impossible for users to cook as they like according to their favorite recipes or recipes created by famous cooks.
Accordingly, it is a main object of the present invention to provide an electric cooking apparatus which can be used for multi-purposes.
To attain the object, there is provided an electric cooking apparatus in accordance with a first aspect of the invention, comprising: a main body including a heating device; a control device for controlling heating temperature and time of the heating device based on a heating program; an operation panel for operating the control device; and a receptacle provided in the main body, the receptacle being heated by the heating means, wherein the heating program of the control device is able to be set arbitrarily by operating the operational panel.
Accordingly, the heating program can be set freely through the operation of the operation panel so that a multi-purpose electric cooking apparatus can be provided by setting the heating temperature and time as heating program according to a user""s taste. Further, as the setting of the heating program is carried out only through the operation of the operation panel, the setting of heating program is simplified.
According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided an electric cooking apparatus according to the foregoing aspect, wherein the control device includes a storage device for storing the heating program set through the operation of the operation panel.
Accordingly, it is possible to store the heating program by way of the storage device so that the stored heating program can be precisely repeated.
According to a further aspect of the invention, there is provided an electric cooking apparatus according to any of the foregoing aspect, wherein the storage device is so structured that it may have a plurality of the heating programs stored thereon, while the operation panel is provided with a selection operating portion for selecting among the stored heating programs.
Accordingly, it is possible to easily repeat or reproduce any one of the stored heating programs.
According to a still further aspect of the invention, there is provided an electric cooking apparatus according to any of the foregoing aspect, wherein the main body is provided with a temperature detection device for detecting temperature in the receptacle or in foods to be heated, with the temperature detection means connecting with the abovementioned control device.
Accordingly, it is possible to perform cooking while feeding back a heat condition to the control device.